Story topic and angle
The ongoing rental crisis in Sydney has become a critical issue that is putting the lives and health of international students at risk. According to Reuters, the situation is worse in Sydney, where prices have increased by 11.4% with the median rent now costing $679 per week in the Emerald City. The surge in rental prices has been primarily driven by a low vacancy rate of 1.3% in the Sydney market. It is also driven by inflation and increased international students returning to study. As a result of this rental boom, many international students have been forced to seek less desirable housing options, such as those located far from the city centre or those that are unfurnished and unappealing. Some international students have even become homeless. Even those who are able to find accommodation, still face financial and psychological pressure due to rising rents and inflation. As a result, some international students are calling for support on social media and even walking the streets of Sydney in protest.
The feature story will concentrate on the rental problems experienced by international students in Sydney. It will emphasize the challenges that they face while searching for rental apartments, the associated financial and psychological strains they currently face, as well as their attitudes and demands in relation to the rental market, government and school. This feature story will leverage a variety of sources, including rental market research, interviews with real estate agents in Sydney, and insights from international students, which aims to call on the government or schools to pay attention to the rental problems of international students and take policy action as soon as possible.
Publication and Target audience
This feature story will be published in ABC News. Additionally, ABC NEWS endeavours to maintain objectivity and accuracy in its reporting, as well as provide diverse coverage, which is well-aligned with the theme of this article.
Furthermore, the target audience for this feature story is international students who are planning to return to Australia or are renting accommodation in Australia. ABC News covers news from Australia and the rest of the world and has a wide reach, so it includes this audience group.
Sources of information
Data: Australian Bureau of Statistics; CoreLogic; Government Reports; News (CNA, ABC NEWS, THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, NEWS.COM.AU, etc.)
Interviewees: several international students facing rental problems (one is facing the effects of rising rent, she has complained about it on social media and is currently looking for a cheaper apartment; another one had struggled with the anxiety of not being able to find an apartment and lived in a hotel for some time); real estate agents (probably)
Online Journalism
This feature story will incorporate non-textual illustrations, such as video footage and images, to enhance the visual impact of the content. Social media posts will also be embedded.
Links to official data will be provided to give credibility to the article, and links to related stories will be provided at the end of the article to help readers learn more about the subject.
Furthermore, my contact details will be provided to make the article more interactive.
(Word count: 520)
Good work! Your proposal is well-constructed and clearly outlines the topic and angle of the feature story. The rental crisis affecting international students in Sydney is a pressing issue and the proposed focus is on the challenges they face in finding affordable accommodation, the associated economic and psychological pressures, and attitudes and appeals to governments and agents, which are Newsworthy. In addition, The use of sources is appropriate and well-balanced. I think it would be better If you can find a different new angle that hasn’t been covered in other news reports, like you can interview international students who have lived in Sydney for several years, they have the most intuitive feeling about the soaring housing prices, and understand the impact of this change on their life, study and re-moving plans. Well done!
Thank you for your advice!